Can you use fish food and just let it rot in the tank as a source of ammonia in fishless cycling? I'd like to purchase pure ammonia, but I don't trust myself to buy the right kind. Chemistry isn't my best subject in school....... And if I were to use this method, approximately how long would it take to get a nicely cycled 10 gallon tank?

stores sell pure ammonia as a cleaning product i think. my local chemist sells it too...anything that says pure ammonia on the bottle, and which doesn't foam up when you shake it is fine i think.

i'm not sure about using fish food. i guess you can, but you might also get a lot of other nasty stuff from the rotting food which might encourage bad bacteria...i'm not sure really...hopefully someone will come along soon who DOES actually know something

I used pure amonia for my fish tank that i bought at the grocery store. Make sure it doesn't have any "soapy suds" or "lemony fresh". You can find the ingrediants on the back to see if it is pure amonia/ water and pure amonia. It is usualy really cheap. You might want to get some rubber gloves too because if that stuff gets on you hands it burns. and only use it in a well ventilated area and never leave the cap off the bottle!

Using fish food to cycle a tank is a lot of work. It cannot be left to rot or you may get the wrong type of bacteria in the tank. It is also difficult to get the level of ammonia that you want in the tank - it takes a lot longer and the cycle, if you create it, will be substantially smaller than needed - and will still need to be grown to support a goldfish.

YOu really cannot go too wrong with ammonia. Give it a try.

Alright. Thank you guys. So if the ammonia is usable, the ingredient list should only contain ammonia and water right?

Yes, ammonia and water. If it says "surfactant," then don't buy it. That means there is a soap/sudsing agent in it. Try shaking the bottle to see if it foams.

Actually, I had more luck finding pure ammonia at the dollar store than at the grocery!

Thank you very much.

[quote name='daryl' date='Apr 25 2008, 04:17 AM' post='765118'
YOu really cannot go too wrong with ammonia. Give it a try.
[/quote]

he he he, i put in too much in my tank. I didn't know it was as strong as it is ( i tried to test it and the test came out wrong.). Now for all i know my amonia is up past 8 (my kit doesn't go any higher). Water changes can help that though. thank god there are no fish in that tank!

Hi Goldfishlover

If you have an Ace Hardware store near you, they'll have just the right ammonia for you. It's their own brand.
Check on their website for locations. acehardware.com There's quite a few in Stockton.

Debbie